Who needs a bat when you've got two perfectly good legs?
Emaarion Boyd ran himself into baseball history on Wednesday night and he did so without hitting a ball out of the infield. The Marlins outfield prospect wreaked havoc on the basepaths, stealing six bases without the benefit of a hit to help lead visiting High-A Beloit to a 10-0 win over Cedar Rapids at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
Boyd became the first Minor Leaguer to swipe six bags in a game sans a hit since at least 2005, although it wasn't his first game with a half-dozen steals.
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The 21-year-old stole six bases for Single-A Clearwater on June 6, 2023 -- and had a hit in that game to boot. There have been nine instances in which a Minor Leaguer has swiped six bases since 2005, but Boyd is the only two-time member of that group.
To put what Boyd did for the Sky Carp into historical context, no Major Leaguer in the modern era (since 1901) had six stolen bases and no hits in a single game.
"That's crazy," Boyd said when told of his rare feat. "Maybe I should have tried to steal some more."
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The Mississippi native reached on a fielder's choice in his first plate appearance and only official at-bat of the game ... and then he was off to the races. Boyd swiped second and third and scored the game's first run in the third inning. He walked to lead off the fifth and stole two more bases before capping his spree with another pair of thefts in the seventh after being hit by a pitch.
Officially, Boyd was 0-for-1 with two walks and two runs scored. Unofficially, he was the most disruptive force on the diamond.
"That's part of my game. When I get on base, I make the pitchers nervous," Boyd said. "They stop throwing as many strikes and start worrying about me instead of the batter."
An 11th-round pick by the Phillies in 2022 out of South Panola High School, Boyd already has made a career of stealing bases. The 6-foot, 177-pounder entered the night with 91 steals as a pro, including 83 over the past two seasons. Boyd swiped a career-high 56 bags in 91 games for Clearwater in 2023.
Boyd, who was part of the trade that sent Jesus Luzardo to the Phillies this past December, is in an organization that really appreciates players putting the pedal to the metal. Ian Lewis got into the record books at Single-A Jupiter on Aug. 16, 2023. The Marlins prospect, still with the Hammerheads, amassed five steals with no hits -- a feat only accomplished in the Majors by all-time stolen base leader Rickey Henderson with the A¡¯s on July 29, 1989.
Boyd, who has seven steals in eight attempts to begin the season, said there is no magic formula to his stolen-base prowess. He gets on base and he runs.
"I just try and beat the pitcher off the jump," he said. "My speed will take care of most of it. Every time I get on, they¡¯re worried about me and that's how I like it."